Melding Minds
by TFPKOFanGirl
Summary: A new device has been uncovered, but the Autobots lose it, at a price. What will happen when two opposites in the Autobot base get their minds switched with one another? Hilarious Outcomes of course! Read on and Find out what shall become of the two. Co-written with my sister.
1. Chapter 1

Melding Minds

**Whaaaat?**

**So, finally after months of talking, I got my sister to watch Transformers Prime, and finally after mor talking, she decided to write a fanfiction with me! YES! And who says nagging doesn't work? We'll be doing every other chapter, this one's mine and the next is her's and so on. EnJOY!"**

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><p>"Ratchet, you called." Optimus said, walking into the main hanger.<p>

"I did, another relic signal has been unearthed." Optimus stood in silence, looking at the coordinates that blinked on the monitor. Nodding he walked towards the ground-bridge. "I'll get the bridge ready."

"Sweet! Another one!?" Miko yelled as she jumped out of Bulkheads alt-form, finally back from her time at detention. "Can I come with!?"

"As before, Miko, it is not safe." Just as Optimus said that, Bumblebee and Arcee drove up with their charges after a short time of toy car racing. The two moved from their rides and looked up to the Prime. "Everyone, get ready to roll out."

"Awwww, please! I promise I won't touch anything; I just wanna take a few pics!" She pulled out her pink phone and took a picture of the towering mech before her to emphasize her point.

"Oh, no no no, you heard, Optimus, Miko. There's no way we're letting you through that portal." Ratchet stepped before her and added another word under his breath. "Again."

She pouted, but stood her place behind Ratchets pede, her mind already formulating a plan on how to get around it and out into the action.

Ratchet pushed the lever down and the swirling array of colors filled the base. Optimus spoke his famous words and all except the medic transformed and drove through the portal, erupting on the other side where Decepticons were once again digging up a relic that clearly did not need to be in their possession. Optimus silently ordered his team around and they took their positions, waiting for the signal he would give for them to make their moves. They were in a forested area, very different from most of their canyon destinations. Though is stood to point that the relics landed on Earth when it was barely new and most of its vegetation had not yet had much time or chance to grow.

Optimus sent his signal and Arcee swept around the trees silently, pointing her weapons at the vehicons who graciously did the hefty work for Megatron who seemed to be no where on site; a mistake on his part. She began shooting at them and they themselves fired up their weapons, pointing them at the darkened forest that lay around them. Seeing nothing, they fell back to work, lifting up a device that held more than enough clawed spikes to scare any cybertronian.

"Target sighted, I can't tell what it is though."

"Then we use extra precaution." Optimus stated over the open comm. "Everyone, fire!" The Autobots open fired, but kept their blasters pointed away from the device so as not to hit it. The two vehicons who were carrying it fell down in a heap, letting the device fall and dig into the ground. The sound of an electric staff hit all their audio receptors and the four looked to see the continuous flow of electricity being held by Knockout.

"Of course, Megatron would send one of his goons to do his job."

"Well, well, well, I get to snuff four out of five of you. Isn't this just my lucky day?" The narcissistic medic said, walking into the clearing. "What would Megatron do if he found out I finally killed you, Prime."

"Keep dreamin' Con!" Arcee jumped from her safe haven behind the trees and repeatedly shot at the Decepticon, hoping to kill him first. Though she wasn't so lucky as he came after her with his staff when she landed gracefully back onto the damp ground. Spinning around, she swift kicked him and sent him flying back against one of the nearby trees. He snapped the tree in half with brute force, shaking his head from the forming processor ache. Looking up, he shook his servo's before him as she kicked him in the face and sent him farther back into the forest.

Looking down, he saw that his cherry red was now being scrapped to a dull silver grey. "You scratched my finish! For that you shall pay."

"Then get up and fight!" she yelled at him, readying her stance for a more or less fair fight.

As the others fought their way to the device, the vehicons being more defiant on dying this time around, Bulkhead could sense that something wasn't right.

"Go get 'em, Bulk'!" The bot smashed a con's helm between his maces before looking to see Miko up in a tree, taking numerous snapshots for her phone album.

"Miko!"

Optimus turned around himself hearing the name and saw the same as his comrade. "I can't comm. Ratchet, these con's just keep multiplying!"

Optimus slashed through a vehicon and then looked back to the human girl who kept twisting and flipping her phone to get just the right angle for her pictures. "Miko, stay up in that tree until we can get you a ground-bridge back to base."

She nodded, though he couldn't tell if it was her actually comprehending his words or just the girl trying to make him feel somewhat better about her safety. He fell back into fighting, the con's seeming to come out of nowhere.

Moments passed before either Optimus or Bulkhead had the time to look back at Miko. Consequently their poor judgment of timing landed them a visual of the human girl not being there, but instead running through the crowd of fighting Transformers and toward the deadly looking device. BulkHead tried to go after her, but was pushed back by the cons that came after him. Optimus gestured for him to keep fighting as he himself worked his way through the assailants towards her. "Miko." He said calmly, finally gaining a bit of freedom from the fight. "Do not touch that device, we do not know what it contains nor what it does."

"All the more reason to see exactly what it does," she declared, jumping up with excitement.

"Miko!" Time seemed to slow for the Autobot and human as the both touched the device, Optimus going more for the girl than the actual relic. For an instant, everything stopped and they both felt distorted from reality and themselves. When all seemed to be going back to normal, a bright light compressed into the device before bursting out and sending all around it flying off in another direction. Optimus had thankfully grabbed Miko in time to have her safely in his servo's so that she was protected from any harm.

The two though, as being closest to the device, were knocked cold; something very odd and unwanted happening between their minds.

"There, that's it. . Follow the light." Optimus groaned as he awoke, pain surging through his body as his mind recalled past events. "Good. . Good."

"She going to be okay, right, Ratchet?"

"She'll be very much fine, Raphael, we just need to make sure she doesn't go off on her jaunts anymore. . Despite my best efforts at keeping her back." His last sentence seemed to come out disgusted and annoyed. "I'll be awaking, Optimus if anyone needs me." Optimus looked around the room, everything seemed larger than it used to be, as if he shrunk into a new size. Though Ratchet said he was about to wake him, so how could he already be awake, and why had they called him a she?

Sitting up, the mech held his head to be rid of a forming headache, but felt something much different than metal in his movement; hair. Optimus blinked and looked at his servo's that were now replaced with very delicate human hands, painted a deep shade of pink at the tips. He went to speak, asking why he looked this way, but a deep scream beat him to it and he saw. . . His body foolishly dancing around the base in a scared manner.

"Optimus!" Ratchet called, catching up to him. "What's gotten into you?"

"Where am I? Don't tell me I'm in-" The scream came back as the body of Optimus became stiff with fear.

"Bulkhead said you got near the device, I may fear that it has damaged your processor."

"What about, Miko?" Bulkhead asked. "She was near it too."

"Hopefully it doesn't affect humans as it seems to affect Cybertronians." Ratchet said worried, trying to keep the Prime under control.

"Ratchet." Optimus stated, now realizing that his mind was in Miko's body. "I believe that the relic we were fighting for has affected both I and Miko's minds."

Jack laughed and leaned against the rec. area's railing. "Look's like someone's finally taken a step away from excitementville." Both he and Raph laughed before looking back to the teenage girl.

"No, Jack, I mean to say that Miko and I have switched minds." The base fell into a new silence as each person and bot looked between each other with wide eyes and optics.

Miko spoke up her usual enthusiasm gone. "Oh, this is so not happening."

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><p><strong>First chapter, check! Second chapter, coming up! Hint on how were writing: I'll be updating two chapters at a time, mind and her's, so the chaps might take longer to come out, they might not, depends on our writing moods. Just a heads up if it takes forever. <strong>

**Thank you all for reading, and if you liked it please leave a review to tell us what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

Melding Minds

**Home or Bust**

"Believe it or not, Miko, but it's happening. Your's and Optimus's consciousness have switched bodies," Ratchet said.

"How could that have happened?" Bulkhead asked.

Ratchet rubbed his chin and he though. "The only think that I can think of is that the relic was what is known as a Mind Melder."

"I thought that was just a myth," Arcee said.

"I wish it were but the Mind Melder is very much real. It was created by the mad scientist Shockwave. Late in the war, he created the Mind Melder and it was used by Decepticons to switch minds with Autobots. We thought we were killing the enemy when we were only killing our fellow comrades. Decepticons gained quiet a bit of Autobot intel because of the Mind Melder. We nearly lost the war because of it," Ratchet explained.

"And now it's in the hands of Megatron," Bulkhead said in a defeated voice.

"Then we'll have to get it back," Optimus said. "Ratchet, can you send a ground bridge to the Nemesis?"

"I could if I had the coordinates, but might I remind you that the Decepticon warship is cloaked and moving constantly. We'll be lucky to find it, let alone board it and get the Mind Melder back."

"Ugh! Talking's not getting us anywhere! Just point me in the right direction and I'll kick some Con butt and get the Mind thingy back!" Miko said punching the air.

"Oh, no you don't, Miko. You're not going anywhere in Optimus's body. In fact, you're staying right here until one of us gets the Mind Melder back," Ratchet said motioning to Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead.

Miko slouched her shoulders and let out an annoyed sigh. "But I can finally help you and not get squished!" she complained.

"Miko, you're not experienced with an Autobot body and we don't have the time to teach you how to use it," Arcee pointed out.

"I'll learn on the go," Miko suggested perking up.

"No. You're going to stay right here and keep out of trouble," Ratchet said. "That's an order."

"Uh, guys. I hate to break up the party but me, Raf and . . ." Jack looked back at Optimus in Miko's body. "Uh, and Miko, well her body at least, need to get back home. It's getting late."

"Oh, I didn't even consider that," Ratchet said.

"Consider what?" Miko asked.

"Optimus, you're going to have to take Miko's place back at her host parents house. I'm afraid you can't stay here."

"Can't Agent Foweler just call my host parents and make up some story?" Miko asked.

"I would advise against that. It's best of Optimus goes home as you and keeps our cover." Ratchet turned towards Optimus. "Can you handle that?"

"I think so," Optimus replied.

"Alright. It's settled then. Optimus is going home and Miko is staying here."

"Yes! Sleep over!" Miko punched her fist into the air and jumped up in excitement.

Arcee rubbed her optic ridges. "This is going to be a long night."

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><p>Optimus felt awkward riding inside of a vehicle rather than being one. He sat in the passenger side drumming his fingers together. The ride back to Miko's host parent's house was uneventful.<p>

Bulkhead pulled up to the house and opened his door. "Here's you go boss. Good luck tonight."

"Thank you, Bulkhead. It seems I may need it tonight." Optimus began to walk up tot he front door when Bulkhead stopped him.

"Don't forget that Miko has detention tomorrow after school!"

"Right, of course. Good night." Optimus waved as Bulkhead made a U-turn and sped down the road back to base. He felt a longing in his chest to have his body back. He didn't like being so venerable and unable to transform.

With a sigh, he turned back toward the house. He reached the door and froze. Was he supposed to knock or just enter? His hand hovered over the doorknob when the door suddenly opened.

"There you are, Miko. You had me worried. It's late and dinner's almost ready. You can set the table," a short, blonde woman said. She pulled Optimus in the house and lead him towards the kitchen.

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><p>Ratchet stood in his usual spot in front of the monitors when Bulkhead, Bee, and Arcee arrived back. He was attempting to get control of Miko as she attempted to transform in Optimus's body.<p>

"Will somebody help me!" Ratchet shouted.

"Transform!" Miko shouted shaking her arms. "Why am I not transforming?" her left arm smacked into Ratchet sending him flying back.

He stumbled and fell backwards landing on his aft. Everyone heard something crunch beneath his bulk. Pulling the twisted metal from under him, he shouted, "Miko, I needed that!"

"Miko! You need to calm down. Prime's body is not a toy," Bulkhead warned.

Miko stopped and pouted out her lower lip. "But when am I ever going to get another chance to be an actual Autobot! I just wanted to know what it's like to transform," she said.

"If it's alright with Ratchet, I could show you tomorrow." Bulkhead looked over at the medic.

"Oh, alright. If it keeps her out of trouble and out of my way," he said relenting. "But, Bulkhead, you're responsible for any damage she causes. Optimus will have your head if she damages his body.

"No worries, Ratchet. I'll keep a close eye on Miko." Bulkhead smiled and looked over to where Miko had been.

"Scrap."

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><p>Ratchet rubbed his optic ridges as he listened to Bulkhead calling for Miko. "We're doomed," he sighed.<p>

"Is there any way you can control her until we get the Mind Melder back?" Arcee asked.

"I've considered putting her in stasis, but if Optimus needs her expertise's for any reason while he's in her world, I would hate to have to leave him to improvise. For now, we just have to deal with it. Stasis is a last resort," he replied begrudgingly.

"Alright, well, me and Bulkhead will do our best to keep her out of your way but I can't make any promises."

"Thanks, Arcee." Ratchet returned his attention to the monitor. He searched for anomalies that would reveal the location of the Nemesis as it moved through the sky. So far, he'd come up with nothing. He pounded his fist on the control panel. "Blasted human technology! What I wouldn't give for Cybertronian tech right now."

He let out a sigh knowing lamenting wasn't going to find the Mind Melder. "Hang in there, old friend."

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><p>Optimus looked down at the green mush that was before him. He poked at it with what he humans called a fork. After the fiasco in the kitchen, he was doing his best to seem normal, but Miko's host parents were becoming suspicious.<p>

"Miko, you need to eat your vegetables," the blonde woman said.

Optimus nodded his head and stabbed some of the greens. He put the fork and the greens in his mouth just as he'd seen the other humans do. He fought every urge to spit the food back out. Instead, he followed the others exampled and chewed the food. He kept chewing unsure what he was supposed to do with it when he was done. He looked at the four humans searching for signs of what they did with their process food.

Ratchet, I wish you were here to help me, he thought sullenly as he continued the chew.

"Aren't you going to swallow Miko?"

Optimus looked up. The woman was watching him with worried eyes. He maneuvered the food to the back of his throat and forced it down. He now understood what to do with the food.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" The woman reached over and prodded Optimus's face.

"You aren't doing drugs, are you?" asked the man. He waved his fork at Optimus.

"No. No drugs, but I'm not feeling well," Optimus replied.

"I thought something was wrong with you. Well, since you're not feeling well, after dinner you can go to bed. I'll take over the dishes tonight."

"Thank you," Optimus said.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Maybe you should get sick more often. It makes you so much more polite and nice."

After dinner, Optimus climbed the stairs and wandered around the halls looking for Miko's room. He finally found it when he opened a door was was greeted by an oversized Smash Monkey poster.

The room was a mess. Clothes were strewn across the ground and draped over the bed. A electric guitar rested haphazardly on a stand which was connected to loudspeakers. Posters of hard-metal bands adorned the walls along with a picture of Miko's family back in Tokyo.

As Optimus stood there observing Miko's room, he heard the woman call up.

"Miko, before you go to bed, don't foget to take a shower!"

Optimus didn't know what to say or even do. He'd never heard of a shower before and didn't have the slightest idea how one worked. "I will," was all he could think of on the spot. He stepped into the room and quietly shut the door behind him.

He pressed his fingers to his ear. "Ratchet."

Ratchet didn't respond.

Optimus tried again. "Ratchet, come in."

Still no response.

Optimus let out a groan as he remembered he was in Miko's body and not his own. He would have to find another way to get ahold of Ratchet. Looking around the room, he searched for some communication device. As he looked under all the dirty clothes, he tossed them aside into a pile but found nothing. Standing, he felt something in Miko's side pant pocket.

Reaching in, he pulled out her pink cell phone. Thankfully, she had Ratchet on speed dial.

"Optimus, what's it like living like a human?" Ratchet asked.

"Ratchet, I'm in need of your assistance," Optimus said.

"What can I help you with, old friend?"

"How do I take a shower?"

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><p><strong>Thanks again for reading! As before, my sister wrote this chapter and I will be writing the next. Until the next two chapter! <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Melding Minds

**Let's try Detention**

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><p>Optimus stood before the bathtub, his eyes wide with something he'd never felt before. Uneasiness, a growing sickness in his stomach. He still wore the clothes that Miko had worn for the day, though he could clearly tell they needed washing.<p>

"Optimus, are you listening?" He blinked and looked down to the ph

one before him. Ratchet's voice was low and almost inaudible from the distance, but he could clearly hear the fear in his friend. "Optimus, answer me."

"I'm here, Ratchet."

"Good, now from what I've seen on the internet, you have to first turn on the water." Optimus nodded, even though he knew Ratchet couldn't see him. Stepping up to the tub, he squinted his eyes at the silver knobs and turned one on full power, spraying water everywhere. He quickly turned it back off and looked to see that half the bathroom was now dripping with water. He sighed. "Did you first close the curtain?"

"No."

"Well, the human say that you must or you'll drench the bathroom itself." Closing the curtain, Optimus turned the faucet back on, only peeking around the corner to thankfully see the water staying inside. "Are you ready for the next step?"

"Yes."

"All that is required now is to step inside. . They say to use the already prepared soap for your body and hair." Optimus nodded again.

"Miko. You're not talking to a boy in there are you?" He jumped and slammed the flip phone shut.

"No."

"A-alright." The woman's feet padded down the hallway and he let out a relieved sigh. Opening back up the phone he spoke. "Ratchet, is there anything else I must know." No answer. He raised a brow and peered closer. "Ratchet?" Again, nothing. Taking in a deep breath he locked eyes with the shower and nodded again. Stepping in he let the beads of water soak his clothing, skin and hair. Moments passed before his skin began to have a sensation that it was touching fire. Yelping in pain, he tried to jump out of the shower but instead found a foot hooking against the bathtub frame, smacking his back against the tile flooring.

"Miko! Miko are you alright!?" He answered with a painful groan and tried to push himself up, but found that his body hurt much to hard at the moment to actually get him anywhere. The door swung open and the blonde haired lady showed up before him, her face contorted into that of worry. "Oh, sweetie, what happened?" She helped Optimus back up and he let out another groan. She pushed back a few strands of wet hair that had fallen onto Miko's face and she smiled sympathetically. "You really don't feel good do you?"

"Not as of this moment, no." Her smile grew as she shook her head. She stood up and felt the shower water, instantly snatching her hand back.

"Well, I know part of your problem," She stated twisting the faucet so that the water became a slow drip and then nothing. "The water was only on hot, you didn't even it out with cold." Optimus subconsciously chewed on his bottom lip, humankind was most definitely more confusing than they let on. "Why don't you get into your pajamas and I'll get this cleaned up. We'll see if you're well enough to go to school tomorrow."

"Understood." The woman looked at him oddly as he walked out of the room. Something was going on, something very odd and unexplainable.

Optimus listened as the detention teacher smacked her ruler across the board, gaining everyones attention. She was tall, thin and had an expression on her face that could scare any kids away, that was, if they could get away.

"Alright, kids. . Since you all, for a very odd reason. Are coming from science, we'll be going over the lessons you disrupted. . Miko. . John." Her eyes scanned over him and the other kid, her pupils almost unnoticeable. "I know that this is a very uncomfortable subject for some, but reproduction is very much a part of us as it is any other thing on this planet."

Optimus, curious about the information raised his hand. The teacher called on him.

"Doesn't new life come from a well?" The class burst into a fit of laugher and the teach as well wiped tears from her eyes. He looked around the room confused at their laughing, hadn't he asked a viable question, in fact, weren't students pushed to ask questions? He scooted back in his seat and found himself sliding down, another feeling he hadn't really felt before or in a long time, embarrassment.

"Oh, Miko, what have you been reading? . . No of course not. . And that's exactly what we'll start with. Lesson one, conceiving."

Ratchet pinched between his optic ridges and sighed. Ever since Miko had awoken, she'd been doing nothing but ruckusing about base. Especially since Bulkhead had helped teach her how to transform she'd been driving around base, albeit crashing into every other wall as she did so.

"MIKO! Will you STOP!" The medic yelled, punching his fist against the monitor, watching as failed network signs began to pop up and take over the screen. "I told you once and I'll tell you again, you are in, Optimus's body, and I don't think he want's to go back to it being all bent out of shape and broken!"

"Who's to say we'll get switched back?" She asked sarcastically, sitting on a berth and swinging her legs back and forth a little to girlishly for the body of a mech. "I mean, we could be stuck like this forever."

"Then lets pray that you don't."

"Aww, do you not like me, Ratch?"

"I ask myself that everyday." She jumped off the berth just as Bumblebee and Arcee came through the tunnel, Bulkhead lagging behind due to Miko, or her body to say, having detention. The humans got out and the two transformed.

"You finally got her to calm down?" Arcee asked, walking past Ratchet and he rolled his optics while letting out a huffed sigh.

"Calm!?" Miko yelled while punching her fists through the air. "I'm not calm, I'm pumped up!" Arcee sighed herself and looked the other way.

"Of course, how could I of been so stupid. . Jack, care to do inventory?" He shrugged and the two disappeared down one of the darkened corridors.

Optimus walked out of the schools doors, his legs weak and his eyes bulging. The lesson had felt like it would never end as the teacher explicitly went over every detail of human reproduction. Everything he learned was just something that he never needed to know about humans, but thanks to Miko having detention four out of five days a week he was subjected to three more days of detention until he could finally get out and away from that wretched room.

"Hey boss bo. . . Uhhh, Miko.." Bulkhead said pulling up to the curbside and opening his door. Optimus slowly climbed in, his sensors turned off from reality as his mind went over the information. "Optimus? You O.K?"

"I do not believe so, Bulkhead. I feel ill."

"Is it your stomach, or head, or body? . Not to pry, but Miko says she has some stuff she calls medication for when she isn't feelin' to good." The mech slammed the door shut and waited until Optimus put the seatbelt over himself to leave.

"I do not need human medication. I need. . ." Optimus's voice trailed off as he couldn't think of what he needed. "I need what the humans call a brain wash."

"Don't really know where you're goin' with this, Optimus."

"I. . I care to forget of what I learned about in detention today."

"Learn about the human anatomy? Miko says that's the worst for her."

"No. . Human. ." He grabbed the seatbelt subconsciously "Reproduction." He fell into a daze and Bulkhead became worried as he began to not respond to him.

"Optimus! Can you hear me? Optimus respond!" Bulkhead sped up, Ratchet needed to look at him, and quick.

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><p>Miko picked up her guitar and let out a loud wail. "Awe! Come ON!" She drew a finger over the strings and they snapped off one by one as her metal fingers were sharp on the cords. "Seriously." She contemplated on throwing it, but knew that if she did ever return to being human, well, it wouldn't be a very fun outcome. She set down the guitar and picked up a random device. "Cool, can I keep!?"<p>

Ratchet snatched it from her servo and held back a scowl. "Ep, ep ep, do not touch, that is very important, and very delicate machinery."

She put a hand on her hip and leaned to one side, an annoyed scowl on her own face. "It's a welder."

"More the reason as to why you shouldn't touch it. . The last thing we need is this place to be burnt down to the ground."

"It can't do that."

"Please, Miko, if it's in your servo's there's no telling what it can do. . I mean, it could blow up for all we know!"

"You're exaggerating."

"I'm looking at every possibility, and with you, they're endless." A horn reverberated off the tunnel halls and through the main lobby. Looking over the two saw Bulkhead coming through with great speed.

"Ratchet! Somethings wrong with, Optimus. . He's not responding!" His wheels squealed against the cement. His door opened and the frozen body of Optimus stepped out before stopping and standing in place, eyes wide with an array of emotions. The medic picked him up and set him down a medical berth.

"When did he start acting like this."

"After I began driving away from the school."

"He could be having a severe reaction to the device. . Or shock from his mind being in a human body too long, especially that of a femme."

"Hey."

"Ratchet doesn't mean it as bad, Miko. . He's just stating medical facts."

"What were his last words before he froze up unresponsive?"

"I think it was something along the lines of 'human reproduction'."

Miko began to laugh and the two mech looked over to her, Ratchet with a scowl of disapproval on his face

"I hardly think this is the time to be laughing."

"Optimus had to learn human reproduction! HAhahahaha!" She almost fell over as she clutched her sides. "Oh, this is just perfection!"

"Why is this so funny, Miko? Optimus could be having a severe reaction."

"Ya, to what he learned! Can't you guys figure it out?"

Ratchet stopped and thought of the situation before nodding to himself. "Yes. . Yes I see what you mean. I too learned of human reproduction, of course over the internet."

"You what!?" He waved Miko off.

"It would come as logical that, Optimus is having a reaction to learning such, sensitive information, especially since he's not truly human and we gain our sparklings by a different means." Ratchet calmed. "Though I do not know when he'll come out of this shock."

"Pft," Miko grabbed a cup of water and tossed it over her body that Optimus now occupied. He jerked and his eyes blinked ferociously as he sat up and spit out some of the water that had landed in his mouth.

"What happened?"

"You totally went into student shock, dude!" Miko. "Everyone goes into it at some point."

"Ratchet, may I request that I not go to school tomorrow?"

"Sorry, dude, but that's got to go through my host mom. Though she's a little too easy to persuade. Give a fake cough and make yourself throw up and she'll send you to bed for the whole day with whatever you want."

"I do not think I could trick someone on that level."

"Sure, but you're the one going back to school to learn how kids come into this world." She walked off snickering to herself, wishing she could go back with him and watch as he faked being sick.

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><p><strong>Chapter written by: TFPKOFanGirl<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Melding Minds

**Signal **

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><p>Ratchet stood at the computer. Data streamed across the screen, but he was hardly paying attention. Miko was tossing the mechs metal ball up into the air and catching it. Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead were out on patrols which meant that Ratchet was left along with Miko for most of the day.<p>

He was having a hard time focusing on any sort of work as worry about Miko destroying the base ate away at his circuits. A loud clang reverberated across the main floor of the base.

"MIKO!" Ratchet swung around to see Miko setting down the ball and giving him a sheepish grin.

"Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength," she said looking up.

Ratchet followed her gaze to see a dent in the ceiling. "By the Allspark, if I make it through today . . ." he muttered.

"I'm bored."

"Obviously!" Ratchet snapped. He instantly regretted the harsh tone.

Miko leaned against the wall and hugged her arms around herself. "I feel useless. When I was a human, I could do stuff. I didn't feel so . . . disembodied. I want to do something, but I just keep messing things up," she said kicking her metal toe against the ground.

Ratchet gritted his teeth against the grating sound. After what Miko had just told him, he had a hard time being angry with her. He needed to be more patient with her until she and Optimus were switched back to their bodies.

"I wish I could understand your frustration, but I've never been in your situation. I do understand feeling useless though. There were many times that mechs were brought to me and they were too far beyond repair. All I could do was offer to ease their suffering until it ended. I felt useless as a doctor. Good mechs were dying because Megatron wanted absolute power. I wished in those moments I could end it all. War, death, suffering. But was only a medic."

Ratchet hadn't shared that with anyone before. Not even Optimus. It was too personal, to close to his heart for him to share, but what Miko had said earlier about feeling useless had stuck something inside him. Now that the memories were out there, he feel relief. He'd carried that burden for far to long.

"I'm sorry," Miko mummered.

"No need to apologize. That's just a part of war. Albeit a ugly part. If you want to feel useful around her, the hallways have collected too much dust for my liking. We keep a vacuum in the hall closet. That should keep you busy for a while," Ratchet said.

"Alright," Miko said.

Ratchet was surprised by the response. He had expected some resistance from her when he suggested a chore. She must be really bored. He didn't mention it though. If the chore kept her out of his way for a while, he could finally get some work done.

* * *

><p>Ratchet was examining some equipment when the computer picked up another energon source. He hurried over to check it out. "By the Allspark, it's not far from here." He opened his com channel and tried to raise Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, do you hear me?"<p>

Nothing but static answered him.

"Bumblebee, do you hear me?"

Again, nothing.

Ratchet tried to raise both Arcee and Bulkhead, but had no success. He wasn't sure why he couldn't reach them as all three knew to keep their com channels open incase of such an event.

"Blast it all!"

"What's the matter, Ratch?" Miko asked coming in having just finished sweeping the halls.

"The computer has detected a energon source not far from here but none of the others are answered my calls. We need to get there before Megatron and his minions do."

"Why don't we go? I could help you get it and bring it back," Miko said.

Ratched looked at her and saw a spark light up her optics. She smiled big and did her best to give him a pleading face, which make Optimus's face look ridiculous.

"Oh, alright. Just this once, though. And do exactly as I say. No running off to play the hero or doing anything stupid to show off. I don't need you to get captured or killed by the Decepticons. Optimus would have my head if that happened," Ratched said.

"Gotcha ya, Ratch. No messing around. Strictly business," Miko said saluting him.

"I know I'm going to regret this later," Ratched muttered under his breath as he transformed.

The temperature had risen past a hundred degrees. If Autobots could sweat, Ratchet would have sweated a pools worth. Miko followed behind him as he instructed. They looked like two vehicles traveling down a dusty Nevada road. Only a trained eye would tell that these two vehicles were not like the others.

Thankfully, the Decepticons were nowhere to be seen. Either they hadn't detected the energon source or they were still enroute. Ratchet hoped for the former. If he and Miko could get to the source before the Decepticons and get it back to the base without an incident, he'd call it a miracle.

"Are we almost there?" Miko asked.

"Yes." Ratchet slowed and turned down a winding dirt road that lead to seemingly nowhere. It ended at the head of a deep canyon. Transforming, Ratchet walked cautiously into the shadows cast by the towering walls.

"This place gives me the creeps. I'd say we're in the right place," Miko chimed in.

"I would have to agree with you. The energon source should be just up ahead." Ratchet continued down the snaking canyon until it widened out into a dead end.

"This is it? We came all the way out here for nothing?" Miko said knocking on the canyon wall.

"The energons got to be around here somewhere," Ratchet mumbled. He examined every surface and moved every rock. He found nothing which perplexed him. "Well, the computer must have a glitch," he said. "We better be getting back."

"What? I don't' want to go back! I'm sick of being cooped up in the base. I want to stay out here and do something!" Miko slammed her foot down as hard as she could on the ground. The sound of cracking echoed against the canyon walls.

"What in the . . ." Ratchet began but he was cut off as the canyon floor gave way.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee was the first to arrive back to the base. He transformed and stretched out his stiff circuits. Beeping, he called out for Ratchet and Miko. No reply came back.<p>

He called again but no one came to greet him. Perplexed, he searched around the base but found no one. As he paced around the main room of the base, his attention was caught by the flashing screen of the computer. A dot marked a spot where a energon source had been detected.

"Hey Bee," Bulkhead said as he entered. Arcee was right behind him.

"Where's Ratchet and Miss Distructo?" Arcee asked.

Bumblebee pointed at the screen, beeping his reponse.

Arcee came over and examined the computer. "You think Ratchet actually took Miko out on a mission? He can barely be in the same room with her for five minutes without shouting at her? Can you imagine him trying to keep her under control out there?" Arcee said waving towards the Nevada desert.

Arcee and Bulkhead laughed at the idea of the duo doing anything together.

Bumblebee, however, glowered at them. He beeped angrily as he jabbed a finger at the screen.

The laughter stopped. "That's only a few miles from here. If Ratchet and Miko did go out, they should be back by now," Arcee said.

"Why didn't he try to have one of us go check it out?" Bulkhead wondered.

Arcee opened her com channel only to hear a crackling sound. "Because our com channels are down. Slag! If he and Miko went there by themselves, they could be in trouble. Miko had no combat training and Ratchet, well, he'd get himself killed trying to protect her. Come on. We better go find them before the Decepticons do."

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee transformed and sped out of the base.

* * *

><p>Ratched woke to settling dust and darkness. A faint light shone above where the roof of a massive cave had given way.<p>

Miko was already on her feet, her head bent back to gaze upward. "Whoa, I didn't think Optimus was that strong," she said.

"I think the ceiling was already giving way. You just helped it along," Ratchet replied.

"How're we going to get out of here?"

"We'll have to find a way out. This cave system must have an exit."

"Why can't Autobots fly? I mean, couldn't you just scan an airplane and transform into it?"

"It's not that simple, Miko."

"Why not?"

"Just because," Ratchet sighed.

"That's not an answer!"

"Miko, I don't have time to put up with your whining. We need to get out of here before the Decepticons arrive, if they haven't already. If any one of them finds out that you're in Optimus's body, we'll all be in danger. Especially Optimus since he's trapped in your flesh bag!" Ratchet snapped poking a finger at Miko.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter written by: My sister who still has yet to actually acquire a FF name.<strong>

**Sorry for the hiatus, but my sister has been bogged down with school and work that she hasn't had any good time to just sit down and write the chapter. **

**Thanks for reading our story and we hope that we'll be able to update sooner! **


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